The Ducks' Corey Perry warms up in a camouflage jersey as part of Military Appreciation Night in Anaheim on Sunday. PAUL BERSEBACH, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

ANAHEIM – Bob Murray has got a lot to sit back and crow about these days but it isn’t in his nature to puff his chest out.

His team is atop the entire NHL and his roster is bursting at the seams with talent. And while caution is often present in his voice, Murray can’t downplay the Ducks’ roaring 15-3-1 start as the 2013-14 season is nearly one-quarter through.

“The guys are sticking together through the injuries,” the Ducks' general manager said. “And as tough as it has been, in all those things can be a silver lining. I think it’s brought this team further closer together.

“They’re gutting it out. They’re sticking together and they believe in one another. They know the kind of game they have to play to have a chance and they’re sticking to their guns.”

The Ducks have continued to roll along even as they seem to lose players by the game. Ryan Getzlaf sat out Sunday night’s 3-1 win over Vancouver, joining goalie Viktor Fasth and fellow forwards Saku Koivu and Jakob Silfverberg on the sidelines.

Getzlaf’s injury will not keep him from joining the team on its four-game trip that begins Tuesday night at Florida. Yet they compensated once again for those who are missing.

“I think it’s nothing new for us,” said center Nick Bonino, whose fifth goal of the season was a winner Sunday. “You see the way our road trip went. We lost a guy in three straight games. We have had guys step in all year.

“We’ve got a lot of character. We’ve got a lot of depth. Not only on the team but in the organization. It showed tonight.”

Not too long ago, the Ducks were so devoid of depth that their roster contained an aging and fading Jason Blake, bargain-bin pickups in Niklas Hagman and Mark Bell and journeymen Rod Pelley and Andrew Gordon.

These days, the Ducks have watched first-round picks Emerson Etem and Kyle Palmieri mature into everyday players and have seen other first-rounders Peter Holland and Rickard Rakell make contributions.

The re-emergence of Devante Smith-Pelly and development of Patrick Maroon have given the Ducks four productive forward lines. And the emergence of rookies Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen has been a big boost to a once-suspect defense corps.

“It’s nice to have,” Murray said, speaking of the depth. “It’s the thing you build for. As we’ve said for a few years here, we’re slowly trying to gain assets. Finally, you’re seeing the patience of the group in sticking with the young players.

“The development of our minor-league system has been outstanding. They’ve developed the kids and they continue to develop the kids. It’s a good situation to have, no doubt about it.”

GOALIE SURPLUS

The depth in goal likely has other general managers salivating. Jonas Hiller remains the erstwhile starter but can also become an unrestricted free agent. Hiller’s future – both immediate and long-term – has become a hot topic of speculation.

It arises from the presence of Fasth and the sudden emergence of Frederik Andersen, who has gone 6-0 while Fasth has nursed a nagging lower-body injury. Andersen stopped 35 Vancouver shots on Sunday.

Add that the Ducks have eight defensemen on their roster and it has led many to think Murray has to make a move simply to clear a logjam somewhere. Not so fast.

“The boys have played so well, they’ve put me in a position where I feel no pressure to do anything,” Murray said. “I’m going scouting next week. That’s what I’m doing. I’m going to pay attention to that part of my job.

“If a guy doesn’t want to be here, then we’re not going to keep them here. So far, this group has been … they’re all in. They feel good about themselves and the team. Hopefully that continues.”

Murray said that his cell phone isn’t ringing any more than normal but added that the quantity of conversations with fellow general managers might start to pick up soon.

“It’s just business as usual,” he said. “It happens every year at the 20-game mark. There starts to be a few more calls. All it is are guys doing their jobs. You wait and see what you have for the first 15 to 25 games. You figure out your team and the other guys figure out their teams.

“Guys start to call around and see what’s going on with everybody else in the league. Nothing’s different. It’s business as usual.”

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